The Wild Hunt
by LoveBetweenLionsandLambs
Summary: Roxas hated growing up. Halloween just didn't seem as magical now that he was too old to believe in monsters. He wishes he didn't have to grow up, he wishes he could believe in magic again, but Roxas is is about to learn "Be careful what you wish for" was never sounder advice than on Halloween. (Akuroku, Axel/Roxas)


It didn't feel like Halloween. Sure it was autumn. The leaves had changed color, and the air was chilly, but it didn't feel like it used to feel. Things had been different when he was a kid. Time seemed to move slower, to build up to exciting things, so it seemed that holidays took forever to arrive. Now, they came up unexpectedly: it's Halloween all ready?

It wasn't just the time thing. It was the whole feeling. As a kid Halloween had been magical. Getting to stay up late and go out after dark, the glow of streetlights and pumpkins. Trick or treating was like an adventure, but with candy.

Now, staying out after dark was nothing special and the night had lost its sense of mystery. Roxas was sixteen years old and far too for trick or treating.

"I don't see why you miss trick or treating," said Sora as they made their way up the drive way to Riku's house. Sora and Riku had been friends since they were kids, and as such Sora's mom trusted Riku enough to let Sora go to Riku's Halloween party, even though Riku was in college now and Sora was still in high school.

Their mother had been hesitant to let Roxas go along. Sora was a senior, he'd be eighteen soon, but Roxas was a year younger and the baby of the family. Roxas had had to endure a endless lecture about not drinking and being careful. Roxas doubted he'd have been allowed to go along if Sora hadn't insisted it would be fine.

"I'll look out for him, promise."

Roxas was fairly sure he wouldn't be going to the party at all if it wasn't for Sora. It wasn't that Riku didn't like him, but they'd ever really gotten along. For a while Roxas thought it was because he was younger, and thus seen as a pest by the older boy, but age didn't seem to matter to Riku when he asked out Roxas's best friend. Not that there was anything wrong with that, lots of seniors dated sophomores and Xion had been thrilled to get to go to Senior Prom last May. Really, Xion was the only reason he was going to the party. She'd said she would be there, and that meant things wouldn't be all bad.

Roxas shrugged at Sora's question. "No really," he said. He missed something else. The way it had felt back then. "Do you ever miss believing in Santa?"

Sora laughed, but Roxas said he was serious. "When we were little anything was possible," said Roxas, "we checked wardrobes for Narnia and watched out the window at night to see if Peter Pan might come. Magic felt like it could be real, or maybe the magic was just the feeling of believing. Halloween used to be special."

"That's growing up," said Sora. He rang the doorbell. Riku opened it sporting a pair of fake fangs and a cape over his street clothes.

"Good, you're here," said Riku, "I was afraid it'd be more tick or treaters." A giant bowl of candy sat on a chair next to the door.

"Busy night?" asked Sora.

"Crazy, had to keep running to the door every five seconds," said Riku. He checked his phone. "But it's almost 9 o'clock, so I'm hoping things will die down soon. Nice costume Sora."

Sora had gone all out on his Pirate costume. If he'd spring for the wig he could have passed for Jack Sparrow, as it was he'd just tied a bandana around his hair, much cheaper. Riku turned his gaze to Roxas. "And what are you supposed to me? Little Red Riding hood?"

Roxas was indeed sporting a red hoodie. "I'm not supposed to be anything," said Roxas. "I'm too old for dressing up."

"Bah humbug to you too," said Namine. She was wearing a white angel costume, apparently matching Xion who was wearing a back angel costume. Both costumes were of the 'sexy revealing outfit billed as costume' variety.

"He probably couldn't think of anything," said Seifer, who was dressed as a rapper.

"He doesn't have to wear a costume," said Hayner, instantly coming to Roxas's defense. Hayner's soldier costume looked cobbled together from camo print stuff he'd found in his closet and bits picked up from the army surplus.

Roxas looked around. Was he the only one not in costume? Well fine, better than then wearing something stupid. Pence was dressed as red M & M and most of the girls were sexualized versions of random things. Sexy bumblebee, sexy witch, sexy fire fighter, sexy…crayon?

It was all so stupid, or maybe Roxas was just being a kill joy because he couldn't get into the spirit of things.

As the night went on it was clear Roxas's mom need not have worried about things getting out of control. So far the highlight of the evening had been watching "Hocus Pocus" for the 'nostalgia feels' and singing along during "I put a spell on you". When no one could decide whether to put on "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or something actually scary, someone had suggested a candy eating contest.

A the moment Riku and Hayner were seeing who could eat the most left over Halloween candy the fastest. As Roxas watched the two stuff whole chocolate bars in their mouth, he couldn't help but think this was going to end badly. If someone didn't end up choking, they were definitely going to make themselves sick. When the candy bowls were emptied, people started handing them cupcakes and chips. This wasn't over until someone gave up or got sick, even if they had to empty the fridge.

Roxas got to his feet and headed for the door, saying he was going to get some air. He stepped outside into the crisp October night. The pumpkins on the front porch were dark, the candles burnt away to nothing. The house lights were off and only the street light remained.

It was nearly midnight, Halloween was almost over, but for Roxas it felt like hand ended a long time ago. The magic was gone and all that was left was annoyance at the stupidity.

Namine slipped out the door to stand beside him. "You doing all right?" she asked. "You've seemed kind of down, all night."

"It's nothing," said Roxas, "it's stupid. I guess it's because I'll be a senior next year. I didn't think everything would go by so fast. Now it feels like…"

"Like?" she asked.

"Promise you won't laugh?" asked Roxas.

"I won't laugh," said Namine.

"I miss the magic," said Roxas, "Halloween used to be exciting but now…. it's stupid, but you know in Peter Pan where you clapped your hands if you believed in fairies. Maybe believing is what made it real, and now that I've grown out of that I've lost something."

Namine just smiled. "You know, in the real legends fairies weren't really all that nice. They were powerful and frightening. Come on, would you really want monsters to exist. You're not one of those waiting for the zombie apocalypse types are you, Roxas?"

"No," said Roxas, "but…I don't know. Listen, I'm going to take a walk. I'll be back in a bit. Sorry for being such a kill joy."

"Do you want me to come with you?" asked Namine.

"I'll be all right," said Roxas, "I'll just walk to the end of the street and back, it's a dead end so it's not like I'll get lost."

Roxas set off down the street. All the trick-or-treaters had long sense gone home and to bed. The neighborhood was quiet. Riku's neighborhood was divided by a small wooded area on either side of the road where it dipped down. It was probably a flood plain, a small creek ran one side of the forest and it was all low lying enough to swell with water when it rained. Beyond the stretch of woods was the rest of the neighborhood, ending in a cul-de-sac at the end of the street.

The wind whistled through the trees and Roxas pulled his jacket closer around him to fight off the chill. It was darker through the dip in the road, but the streetlights further down were enough to light his way.

Then something caught his eye, a glow. Not the dull blinking light of a firefly, but a solid glow like an L.E.D. He turned and thought he saw a spear hovering in the air out in the woods. The phrase will-o-the-wisp crossed his mind. In elementary school the Liberian had read them a book about children where the lights lured children away the lights.

Roxas couldn't pull his gaze from the light. He walked to the edge of the road to get a closer look and then made his way down sloping edge towards the wood. Roxas stopped when he reached the creek. The light was still there hovering above the puddle-strewn ground.

The creek was shallow and dotted with rocks. Roxas looked for a way to cross then carefully stepped from stone to stone, then onto the soggy bank. Roxas pulled his cell phone from his pocket to snap a picture of the weird light. Then the light took off like a shot, going deeper into the woods. Roxas ran to catch it, stepping round or vaulting over puddles as he wove through the trees.

Then he spotted it hovering over a pond, it moved towards the water and then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Roxas leaned over to rest his hands on his knees, panting to catch his breath.

"You shouldn't have followed the light," came a voice.

Roxas jumped in surprised and whirled looking for where the voice had come from. Then he saw him, a man perched up in a nearby tree. His hair was a wild mass of red spikes, his eyes were green as a cat's and his ears seemed pointed as did his teeth.

Heh, neat costume, thought Roxas. "Why not?" he asked.

"Haven't you heard?" asked Axel. "Walls twix'd spirit world and your world are weak. Fairy land tis unfurled if you cross the creak. Follow not the light to the hunting ground. For this is the night, wild hunt's around. The wild hunt rides, run run don't look back. To waters far sides, lest you be snack. The wild hunt rides."

"Yeah…creepy poem?" said Roxas, taking a step back. "Who are you exactly."

"A hound of hunt. I'm called Axel, A-x-e-l, got it memorized," said Axel. "You're human, I can smell it. You'll never get away, unless you go soon. If you can make it to the other side of the creek and don't look back then maybe you can get away. Out of this world and back in to yours. You don't have much time. The portal seals at midnight."  
>"What are you talking about?" Roxas shook his head. Although maybe heading home would be a good idea.<p>

He headed back into the woods, going slow at first and then picking up his pace to a run. Then he saw lights up ahead. Was it the road? He moved closer and came upon a caravan,; horses and carts and people in medieval garb.

What was this, some sort of re-enactment society gathering, thought Roxas? At the front of the group was a silver haired man on a great black horse, his helmet was like Vikings but bore giant antlers instead of horns. Roxas moved closer only to be pulled back as a hand covered his mouth and an arm wrapped around me.

"You really don't listen, do you?" hissed the man. The same man as before, Axel. "You're too close. They'll smell you and they'll be after you. You'll have to run, you'll have to run now. Cross the creak , don't stop until you're across. If they catch you they'll devour you!"

"W…what?" Roxas struggled to get free and Axel let him go. Roxas spun to look at him and he opened his mouth impossibly wide showing rows of sharp teeth.

"Run!" he snarled. Then he leapt at Roxas, morphing into a great wolf as he lunged. Roxas turned and run, the wolf snapping at his heals. He heard a horn blow and the sound of hoof beats followed along with the baying of hounds. Roxas was being hunted, his heart pounded faster than his feet could carry him, he could barely breath but still he ran onward. The wolf at his heals seemed to be driving him, coming at him from different sides to force him to turn one way or another. It was fast, sometimes it appeared in front of him and just stood snarling until he turned and ran another way.

Roxas was sure it could overtake him, but it only seemed to snap at him. Then the creek came into view. He was almost there! He rushed for the bank, but stop short. The wolf, it hadn't been hunting him. It had been driving him here, showing him the way out.

Roxas turned back and looked at the wolf. "Thank you," he said.

The wolf snarled then shifted in cloak of black smoke. Then Axel stood before, but his ears were the ears of a wolf and his hands seemed clawed, his fangs even sharper. "I told you not to look back," said Axel. "Now I can't help you."

Roxas turned back around but the creek was gone. Before him was nothing but darkened woods.

"And no matter how long you run they will hunt you," said Axel. "They're coming now, coming fast and soon, and you won't outrun them forever."

Roxas took a step back. "What…what do I do now?"

"You're the prey," said Axel, "what do you think?" Then Axel lunged towards him pinning him to the ground. His fangs glistened with drool as he licked his lips. "I'm sorry."

Axel upped him up right and opened his jaws inhumanely wide. Roxas clenched his eyes shut, but he could still feel the heat as he was shoved towards the creature's cavernous maw. Axel's tongued lapped his skin, and then his throat closed around him, squeezing him and pulling him downward. Roxas screamed and kicked, but he couldn't get free. Axel lifted him up and tiled his head back to accommodate the boy's downward slide.

At last all of Roxas had disappeared down Axel's throat. He let out a belch and then got to his feet and padded off. In the darkness of his stomach, Roxas felt himself pulled away, like sleep threatening to take him, calling him to let go. It was like getting lost in thought, but he couldn't recall what he'd been thinking before that and he couldn't stop. Then he couldn't feel or sense anything. There was only darkness.

Roxas opened his eyes. He was lying on the forest floor in a bed of leaves. Dawn was coming and twilight. He sat up, it was a dream, just a nightmare.

Roxas looked over to Axel, laying there beside him, belly still round and full. He sat up, startled.

"Confused?" asked Axel. "I've eaten you, and now your spirit belongs to the fairy world. I was like you once, captured by the hunt. Now I'm trapped for all eternity. I did try to spare you that fate but I'm afraid we fae can only speak to humans in riddles."

"My…spirit?" asked Roxas. "I'm…I'm dead."

"Reborn," said Axel, "you're one of us now and can never leave. Welcome to the wild hunt. We'll ride with it forever."

Then Roxas heard the sound of chanting through the trees, or was it singing?

Walls twix'd spirit world and your world are weak.

Fairy land tis unfurled if you cross the creak.

Follow not the light to the hunting ground.

For this is the night, wild hunt's around.

The wild hunt rides, run run don't look back.

To waters far sides, lest you be snack.

The wild hunt rides, to capture new souls.

The wild hunt rides, the story is told.


End file.
